Wool-polyester textile articles having a polymeric finish

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO WOOLEN TEXTILE ARTICLES CONTAINING SYNTHETIC YARNS, IMPREGNATED WITH A POLYMERIC COMPOSITION COMPRISING (1) A COPOLYMER OF VINYL ACETATE (43 TO 60% BY WEIGHT) AND AN ENTHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED ACID (60 TO 40% BY WEIGHT) AND (2) AN ALKYD RESIN AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED WASH-WEAR PROPERTIES.

3,578,491 WOOL-POLYESTER TEXTILE ARTICLES HAVING A POLYMERIC FINISH James W. Dowd, Robert D. Jacobs, and Harry L. Mercer, Cheraw, S.C., assignors to J. P. Stevens 8: (30., 1116., New York, NX. No Drawing. Filed May 23, 1968, Ser. No. 731,612

Int. Cl. 1332b 27/36; D0611; 13/02, 3/02 11.5. Cl. 117-1383 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a process for improving the wash-and-wear properties of woolen textile articles containing synthetic yarns and the resulting improved textile article.

More particularly, this invention concerns a process employing a polymeric composition substantially comprising an ethylenically unsaturated aliphatic acid component combined with an alkyd resin which is used to upgrade the permanent press and permanent crease properties of wool-polyester blends. Wool-polyester blends as used herein refer to articles which comprise at least from 15 to 85% by weight polyester with the residium being wool or wool blended with non-woolen yarns.

The term polyester as used herein includes fibers derived by the polycondensation of ester-forming monomers according to procedures known in the polyester art.

The modification of textile articles is well established in the art. Textiles, including wool and cellulose, are treated to improve their wash and wear properties such as wrinkle resistance, their ability to retain pleats or creasing, and to minimize shrinkage upon laundering.

Woolen-synthetic blends such as woolen-polyester blends are particularly desirable substrates, especially for summer wear because the incorporating of the synthetic yarn into the woolen article permits the use of lighter weight fabrics without sacrificing strength.

While a good many treating compositions have been advocated for modifying proteinaceous materials, albeit for other than wash-and-wear purposes, they have proven unsatisfactory for imparting wash-and-wear properties without adversely affecting equally important properties such as hand, color fastness and mark-01f. For example, US. 2,737,462 discloses a process of treating felted and fur articles or their mixtures, with copolymers containing 85 to 99 mole percent of combined vinyl acetate and from 15 to 1 mole percent of combined ethylenically unsaturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acids such as crotonic, acrylic, methacrylic acids of the like to stiffen the resultant article. As could be expected, the hand and mark-off of wool-polyester fabrics treated with these polymers are totally unsatisfactory, particularly for fabricating garments.

Another typical patent, US. 2,955,958, primarily directed to the treatment of synthetics blended with cotton or wool, utilizes copolymers of substantially polyvinyl chloride combined with a small amount of vinyl acetate, as the treating agent. Unfortunately, the use of these primarily polyvinyl chloride based polymers on woolpolyester fabric blends do not result in a satisfactory 3,578,491 Patented May ll, 1971 durable-press finish. Among other failings are stiff hand, mark-off and the need for after washing.

In view of the above failings of both vinyl acetate based polymeric treating compositions where the vinyl acetate content varied from 1 to 99% by weight of vinyl acetate and the residium was polyvinyl chloride or an ethylenically unsaturated acid polymer, it was wholly unexpected to find that certain vinyl acetate-ethylenically unsaturated acid polymers wherein the ratio of vinyl acetate to ethylenically unsaturated polymer is kept with in rather narrow ranges, function as superior wash-andwear finishes on wool-polyester fabric blends when combined with certain saturated alkyd resins.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention, among others, to provide novel finishes for imparting wash-andwear finishes to wool-polyester fabric blends.

It is another object of this invention to make available a novel process for utilizing the novel finishing compositions of this invention upon wool-polyester fabric blends to upgrade its wash-and-wear characteristics without adversely affecting certain desirable characteristics such as hand, colorfastness and the like.

An additional object of this invention is the production of light-weight wool-polyester fabrics possessing a durable wash-and-wear finish not subject to noticeable mark-0E and not requiring after-wash.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacturing press-free, crease-retained garments which are given a final cure after the garments are completely finished and are otherwise ready to Wear.

A related object of this invention is the preparation of press-free, crease-retained wool-polyester garments which will withstand repeated launderings without suffering from loss of crease or pleats and excess wrinkling.

Other objects are the use of polymeric treating composition whose components are readily available and which can be applied, conditioned and cured utilizing presently available techniques employing commercially available processing equipment.

Further objects will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art after a perusal of the description of this invention.

In accordance with the general practice of this invention a wool-polyester substrate is treated with a modifying amount of the novel polymeric composition of this invention which includes:

(1) A copolymer of vinyl acetate and an ethylenically unsaturated acid, whose vinyl acetate content comprises from 40 to 60% by weight of the copolymer and Whose ethylenically unsaturated acid component comprises from 60-40% by weight of the copolymer, and

(2) An alkyd resin.

The treated substrate is dried, partially cured, fabricated into the desired textile article, given the desired shape or configuration, and finally cured to permanently set the configuration or shape into the article.

In the preferred practice, the wool-polyester blend in the form of a washed fabric is passed through a conventional dipping or padding machine containing an aqueous dispersion or emulsion of:

(1) A copolymer having 50-60% by weight of bound vinyl acetate and 50-40% by weight of bound acrylic acid, and

(2) A phthalate-diol type of alkyd resin, so as to obtain a percentage add-on of modifying components (solid) between 0.4 to 12% (based on the original weight of the fabric).

The treated fabric is passed through squeeze-type rollers operating under pressure to extract the excess pollution from the treated fabric.

The treated fabric is then sized on a standard tenter U frame and is simultaneously dried as it passes along the frame and optionally partially cured. Finally, the fabric is collected on a suitable container such as a drum for fabrication or subsequent shipping to a garment fabricator.

In either event the treated fabric is cut, sewed, finished and any desired pleats or creases are put mechanically or manually into the garment. After this, the garments are put into either a grament-setting oven or are completely cured by exposing the pleats or creases to the action of a standard hothead press using a steam bath for a few seconds and cooling.

In order to set forth the scope of this invention in the greatest possible detail the following amplification of the description is submitted.

(A) ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED ACID COMPONENT OF VINYL ACETATE COPOLY- MER The preferred acid components of the polymeric compositions employed as treating agents are of the acrylic acid type (i. e., its salts, homologues and their salts). These include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, the alkali metal, ammonium, and alkaline earth salts. Other related ethylenically unsaturated acids such as crotonic and itaconic and their anhydrides can be employed.

The mode of preparing the copolymers of vinyl acetate and the ethylenically unsaturated acid component is not critical as long as the concentration of the two components is Within the prescribed limits. For example, solution, suspension, or emulsion methods may be used with comparable results.

(B) ALKYD RESIN (C) TEMPERATURES AND HEATING TIMES The particular heating temperatures and the length of heating are not critical as long as the particular purpose, drying, precuring, curing, etc., is accomplished. For example, while the application of the polymeric treating composition to the substrate is ordinarily carried out at about C. to 50 C., lower or higher temperatures can be employed if desired. Similarly, while the drying of the treated substrate is carried out between 100 C. and 160 C., lower temperatures can be employed if longer drying times are provided for and higher temperatures can be employed as long as the substrate is not deformed or damaged. The optional precuring or partial curing is carried out between about 140 C. and 160 C., care being taken to avoid overcuring which would prevent the subsequent creasing or pleating, etc, after the textile article is fabricated. Generally, keeping the time below about 3 minutes will avoid overcuring. The final curing of the garment or article after pleating, creasing or the like can be accomplished using several well-known devices such as a hothead press or a garment-setting oven. Ordinarily, the complete and final cure can be accomplished between about 140 C. and 175 C. for a period of time ranging from 2 seconds and above.

(D) APPLICATION METHODS The novel polymeric treating compositions of this in vention can be applied to the wool-polyester by any of the conventional methods known in the textile art. These E) CONCENTRATION OF POLYMERIC- TREAT- ING COMPOSTTIONS AND MODIFYING AMOUNT The concentration of polymeric treating composition varie somewhat according to whether a lightweight (4 oz. per sq. yard) or heavier weight (14 oz. per sq. yard) substrate is employed. Generally, however, good wash and wear effects are obtained when the vinyl acetate copolymer concentration in the padding (or application bath) is between 2080 parts by weight per 1000 parts by weight of bath, and the alkyd resin concentration is between 20 and 40 parts by weight per 1000 parts by Weight of bath. This range of treating components is herein referred to as a modifying amount.

While ordinarily not required, if desired, the treating bath in addition to the required polymeric treating composition can contain various textile adjuvants. These include, but are not limited to softeners, surfactants, brighteners, antistatic agents, stain release agents, and the like.

(F) CRITERIA USED TO EVALUATE THE COM- POSITIONS OF THIS INVENTION The critical criteria used to evaluate the treating compositions are:

(1) Hand,

(2) Lack of shade change,

(3) Crease recovery as set forth in AATCC 88C 1964T, (4) Wash-and-wear as set forth in AATCC 88AC 1964T.

(G) EXAMPLES To more explicity demonstrate the workings of this invention in greater detail than is possible by discourse, the following illustrative examples are submitted:

Example l.--Demonstrating efficacy of inventive polymeric compositions as wash-and-wear finishes A sample (designated as A) of a 35% Wool-65% Dacron polyester blend lightweight fabric (6 oz. per sq. yd.) is padded with an admixed solution comprising:

(1) 30 grams per liter of a 25% aqueous emulsion of a copolymer comprising 60% by weight vinyl acetate and 40% by Weight of acrylic acid,

(2) 30 grams per liter of a 50% emulsion of an alkyd resin prepared by esterifying phthalic anhydride and ethylene glycol, and

(3) 940 grams of distilled water at 38 C.

The wet pick-up is found to be The percentage add-on of solids based on the weight of the fabric is 1.8%. The fabric is dried at C. for /2 hour, then heated for 2 minutes at C., and subsequently fabricated into a pair of mens slacks.

The second identical sample of fabric (B) is padded with a bath comprising 1000 grams of distilled water at 38 C. to give the same Wet pick-up of 80% is dried and precured at the same temperatures and time, and also is fabricated into slacks.

A third identical fabric sample (C) is padded at 38 C. with a bath made up by mixing 30 grams of a 50% emulsion of the alkyd resin used for (A) with 970 grams of water. Thereafter, the pick-up, drying and precuring steps are performed as in (A) and (B) and also fabricated into slacks.

A fourth identical fabric sample (D) is padded with a bath made by mixing 30 grams of a 25% aqueous emul sion of a copolymer comprising 60% by Weight of bound vinyl acetate and 40% by weight of bound acrylic acid with 970 grams of water. The padding is conducted at 38 C. and the pick-up, drying and heating steps are as Wash- Grease andreten- Sample wear tion Hand (A) Inventive composition 5. 5.0 Very good. (B) Water 3. 0 3.0 Originalexcellent. (C) Alkyd resin 3. 0 3. 0 Excellent. (D) Vinyl copolymer 3. 3.0 Good.

Example 2.Establishing ratio of vinyl acetate to ethylenically unsaturated acid component for optimum results Five samples of a 35% wool65% Dacron polyester blend fabric (6 oz. per sq. yard) designated (A) to (E) are padded at 38 C. to give a wet pick-up of approximately 80%, and excess solution is removed. The samples are dried for 2 hours at 100 C., heated at 115 C. for 4 minutes, and fabricated into mens slacks. Creases are set into the trousers and all are cured on a hothead press using a three-second steam treatment.

The padding solutions made up on a 1000-grarn basis as as follows:

(A) 40 grams of a 25% by weight aqueous emulsion of vinyl acetate and acrylic acid copolymer whose vinyl acetate content is 87% by weight of the copolymer (85 mole-percent) and whose acrylic acid content is 13% by weight of the copolymer (l5 mole-percent) admixed with 20 grams of a 5 0% emulsion of an ethylene glycol phthalate alkyd resin and 940 grams of water,

(B) 40 grams of a 25 by weight aqueous emulsion of vinyl acetate and acrylic acid copolymer whose vinyl acetate content is 70% by weight of the copolymer and whose acrylic acid content is 30% by weight of the copolymer, admixed with 20 grams of a 50% emulsion of an ethylene glycol phthalate alkyd and 940 grams of water,

(C) 40 grams of a copolymer of a 25% by weight aqueous emulsion of vinyl acetate and acrylic acid copolymer whose vinyl acetate content is 60% by weight of the copolymer and whose acrylic acid content is 40% by weight of the copolymer, admixed with 20 grams of a 50% emulsion of a phthalate alkyd and 940 grams of water,

(D) 40 grams of a copolymer of a 25% by weight aqueous emulsion of vinyl acetate and acrylic acid copolymer whose vinyl acetate content is 50% by weight of the copolymer, and whose acrylic acid content is 50% by weight of the copolymer, admixed with 20 grams of a 50% emulsion of a phthalate alkyd and 940 grams of water,

(E) 40 grams of a copolymer of a 25% 'by weight aqueous emulsion of vinyl acetate and acrylic acid copolymer whose vinyl acetate content is 40% by weight of the copolymer, and whose acrylic acid content is 60% by weight of the copolymer, admixed with 20 grams of a 50% emulsion of a phthalate alkyd and 940 grams of water.

(F) 40 grams of a copolymer of a 25% by weight aqueous emulsion of vinyl acetate and acrylic acid copolymer whose vinyl acetate content is 30% by weight of the copolymer, and whose acrylic acid content is 70% by weight of the copolymer, admixed with 20 grams of a 50% emulsion of a phthalate alkyd and 940 grams of water.

(G) 40 grams of a copolymer of a 25 by Weight aqueous emulsion of vinyl acetate and acrylic acid copolymer whose vinyl acetate content is 20% by weight of the copolymer, and whose acrylic acid content is 80% by weight of the copolymer, admixed with 20 grams of a 50% emulsion of a phthalate alkyd and 940 grams of water.

The following results are obtained after 5 launderings and tumble drying:

Wash- Grease andreten- Wear tion Copolymer content rating rating (A) 87% by weight vinyl acetate, 13% by weight acrylic acid 3.5 3.5 (B) 70% by weight vinyl acetate, 30% by weight acryhc act 3.0 3.0 (C) 60% by weight vinyl acetate, 40% by weight acry 0 acid 5.0 5.0 (D) 50% by Weight vinyl acetate, 50% by weight acrylic acid 4. 5 5. 0 (E) 40% by weight vinyl acetate, 60% by weight acrylic acid 4.5 4.0 (F) 30% by weight vinyl acetate, 70% by weight acrylic acid 3.5 3.0 (G) 20% by weight vinyl acetate, by weight acryhc acid 3.0 3.0

Example 3.Comparison of the high-content vinyl acetate-acrylic acid polymers of US. 2,737,462 and the polymeric compositions of the present invention One of two identical samples of a 55% wool 45% Dacron polyester fabric (9 oz. per sq. yard) designated (A) is padded at 45 C. through a bath comprising an aqueous dispersion of:

(a) 40 grams of a 30% aqueous emulsion of a copolymer comprising mole-percent of vinyl acetate and 15 mole-percent of acrylic acid, and

(b) 960 grams of water.

These figures correspond to a copolymer having a vinyl acetate content of 87% by weight of the copolymer, and an acrylic acid content of 13% by weight of the copolymer. The sample is dried at C. for 2 hours, heated at C. and fabricated into a pair of mens slacks and creases are introduced into the slacks. The slacks are pressed on a hothead press using a 3-second shot of steam to set the creases.

The second sample of the identical wool-polyester fabric is treated exactly as in (A) except that the pad bath (B) is comprised of a two-component system:

Both (A) and (B) are washed five times and tumble dried after each washing.

The following results are obtained:

Wash- Grease andreten- Sample wear tion Hand (A) Gopolymer of US. 2,737,462 3.0 3.0 Poor. (B) Inventive composition including alkyd 4.5 4.5 Good.

resin.

As can be seen by the above results, the copolymers of US. 2,737,462 (having a higher content of bound vinyl acetate) are inferior to the combination of the present invention, namely (a) copolymers less rich in vinyl acetate with (b) alkyd resins.

Example 4.The use of other acrylic acid type materials in the inventive process The procedure described in Part (A) of Example 1 is followed exactly except that in different runs a portion of the acrylic acid is replaced by the following components in the quantities indicated:

(a) 10% by weight of the copolymer by the sodium salt of acrylic acid,

(b) 20% by weight of the copolymer by methacrylic acid,

(0) all of the acrylic acid in the copolymer by itaconic acid.

After the identical laundering procedure is completed, comparable wash-and-wear properties and comparable hand properties are obtained.

The novel process of this invention offers several advantages over the prior art as can be gleaned from the preceding examples and discussion.

Firstly, unlike the prior art (vinyl-acetate-rich copolymers containing 85 mole-percent or more vinyl acetate and less than 15 mole-percent of an unsaturated acid material, disclosed in US. 2,737,462), the copolyrners of the present invention (50:10% bound vinyl aceate, and 50:10% bound unsaturated acid) substantially improve the Wash-and-wear properties of wool-polyester fabric blends, yet do not produce stiff hand or cause color shading or mark-01f problems.

Secondly, compared to the prior art copolymers as illustrated by US. 2,955,958 (rich in bound vinyl chloride and lean in bound vinyl acetate), hand is exceptional and wash-and-wear properties are superior.

Finally, a further superiority and distinction compared to the above-described prior art, the polymeric composition of this invention contains an alkyd resin whose presence unexpectedly greatly increases the hand of the Washand-wear product. Hand is difiicult to quantitate but im portant in the commercial acceptance of any wash-and wear composition.

As the preceding examples and description indicate, numerous changes in application methods, polymeric components, and reaction conditions can be made in this invention without substantially departing from the inventive concept. The metes and bounds of this invention are determined by the claim which follows.

What is claimed is:

1. A textile article having substantially improved washand-wear properties, good hand and free from color shading upon curing, comprising a wool-polyester article impregnated with 0.442% of its weight of a polymeric composition consisting essentially of:

(a) 0.2-8% by weight of a copolymer of vinyl acetate and an acrylic type acid material, whose vinyl acetate content comprises from to by Weight of the copolymer, and Whose acrylic acid type material comprises from 60 to 40% by Weight of the copolymer, and,

(b) 0.24% by weight of an alkyd resin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,731,368 1/1956 Fortess et al. l17l39.4 2,755,198 7/1956 Stewart 117-40 2,799,914 7/1957 Nickerson ll7-139.5X 2,864,093 12/l953 Sumner et al 1l7139.4X 2,956,884 10/1960 Caldwell 1l7139.5X 3,138,802 6/1964 Getchell 1l7139.4X 3,268,915 8/1966 Warnock et al 117l OUX 3,331,891 7/1967 ThOmas et a1 260-862 3,341,955 9/1967 Pyke et al 117l39.4X 2,433,357 12/1947 Fuller 117132X 3,474,054 10/1969 White 1l7161X FOREIGN PATENTS 564,446 10/ 1958 Canada 2-60873 653,121 11/1962 Canada 260862 720,455 10/1965 Canada 260-873 OTHER REFERENCES Martens: Alkyd Resins, 1961, pp. and 148.

MURRAY KATZ, Primary Examiner H. J. GWINNELL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 147139.4, 139.5, 141, 144, 161 

